Since I couldn’t really create a podcast around the introductory show, I made the decision early in the semester to have a bonus podcast. The bonus podcast is focused on film based musicals and jukebox based musicals. Enjoy!
Current Musicals are an interesting section to deal with. For instance, a good portion of the musicals that we discussed in our broadcasts over the last few weeks could be considered a current musical. Musicals such as South Pacific, West Side Story, The Phantom of the Opera and Mary Poppins are currently running on the Broadway stage. Yet these plays had already been discussed previously, so it would be unfair to add them into this weeks playlist.
Instead, I decided to focus on the musicals that were unable to fit into the other categories. For the most part, a good portion of the current musicals are either film based musicals, jukebox musicals or revivals. Only a few are original shows.
Wicked
In the broadcast, I played two songs from the musical of Wicked. If I had my way, I’d probably play the entire cast album. It was one of the first cast albums I purchased and my love for Idina Menzel really opened a lot of doors for me when it came to the world of musical theater. I truly wish I had the opportunity to see her shine as Elphaba on stage. Perhaps she will return to the part at some point in her career, but I do hope if she does take on the role of Elphaba again, she takes better care of her voice. Her performances were raw and sent shivers straight up your back, partially because of the scream she manages to do several times throughout the show. But that scream did horrible things to her tones and it was very evident during the Rent film. Her voice was not as strong and it seemed, as a viewer, that she may have damaged it from the volume she hit with her screams during her turn as Elphaba.
Kristin Chenowith is also a performer that I’d really like to see in Wicked as well. I’m not sure how likely it’ll be for her to return to the production, but it’d be a wonderful treat. Kristin Chenowith is simply adorable in her whole physique and her voice is darling. I never get sick of hearing her sing and I do miss being able to hear her perform rather often on the brilliant but canceled television series (of which I am still mourning) Pushing Daisies.
I miss this show so terribly.
And last but not least, Norbert Leo Butz. He is about to debut in Enron on Broadway, a musical I had no interest in until I discovered he was part of the ensemble. He is another one of my favorite vocalists. Just as I do with Patrick Wilson, I’m willing to try anything that Norbert Leo Butz is a part of. While he was great on the cast album for Wicked, in my opinion, his best work will always be The Last Five Years.
Here he is with Sherie Renee Scott, singing “The Next Ten Minutes,” which we played during the introductory playlist.
Hair
I talked a good portion about Hair in a earlier blog posting, so I won’t hit on it again for this blog. But it was featured highly during the on air broadcast, actually finishing out the playlist. The Flesh Failures may indeed be the last song we play on the actual radio show for The Stage and Musical Show. Who knows, really.
Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys became my favorite to win the Tony a few days before it actually won at the ceremony. I remember being blown away by the casts performance on the awards show and it became an almost mission for me to see the play. By a stir of luck, I managed to while visiting my roommate’s family in San Francisco.
Our seats were just a few rows back from the stage, possibly the closest I have ever been to the front row, and I had to sink back some in my seat in order to really see the entire stage set up. But it didn’t matter as I was completely brought into the world of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. As I have always been a sucker for biopics in the film genre, it was no surprise that I loved the biopic in the theater setting.
Next to Normal
My sister is the one who introduced me to Next to Normal. While I had seen the performance by the cast on the Tony awards, and enjoyed it, I didn’t put much research into the production. Several days after that broadcast, my sister began to talk of nothing but Aaron Tveit, the performer who plays Gabriel. We are both pretty rabid about musicals in general but rarely was she the one to bring a musical to my attention. The only other time in memory where this occurred was with the Cats film.
While I have not hit a level obsession with Next to Normal, I am quite intrigued by the entire thing. I enjoy the cast album intensely and every performance clip I have seen has been hard to look away from. But what has really caught my attention with Next to Normal was the fact it won the Pulitzer Prize for drama. The last musical to win this award was Rent, over ten years ago. Clearly musicals rarely are honored with this award and when they are, it is for good reason. So my curiosity is now officially a strong desire to see just what about this play is that good. I am hoping to see the production in the near future.
Favorite Clips
I used to watch this video on a constant loop. I truly loved the whole world of the Wizard of Oz and Wicked. I love just how well this performance seems to capture the spirit of the show and the amount of energy that Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth have. Plus, Joel Grey is so excited to announce them and the crowds reaction is just brilliant.
The clip that really solidified my interest in Jersey Boys. John Lloyd Young is quite charming in his portrayal of Frankie Valli.
The family musical is a genre that I just can’t help but love. I have always been a big advocate of Disney films so being able to see some of my favorites performed in a theater setting is a true treat. However, not all family musicals are released by Disney. Perhaps the first family musical I knew of as a child was Peter Pan.
Peter Pan
This musical went in direct correspondence with the fact that I loved anything related to Peter Pan as a child. The Disney film was alright but the Peter Pan based stories were this musical, Hook, and Peter Pan and the Pirates. It never seemed to bother me as a child that Peter Pan was evidently being played by a woman. In fact that notion doesn’t bother me as an adult either. Peter Pan has always been traditionally portrayed by a woman on stage, going all the way back to J.M. Barrie’s time. I loved so many different songs from the production and as an adult, tried my hardest to procure the film on DVD. I have been unable to obtain a true copy of the production and will not settle for the Cathy Rigby Production.
Though I can’t find the DVD, the entire production can be found on youtube. Above is a clip from the production known as ‘Never Grow Up.’
The Lion King
Erika and I with Mufasa, 2010.
I was lucky enough to get to visit New York City for a third time right before our Broadcast for the Family Musical. I had saved up and redeemed all of my Disney Movie Reward points, which allowed me to get two free tickets to see The Lion King on Broadway. I went with my friend Erika, as she helped me to earn some of the movie reward points. Though the trip was stressful (we missed our bus and had to catch another one), the show experience was just as grand as I remember it being when I first saw the show with my father in March of 2003.
The Lion King, thus far, has proved to be the only musical that will continually make me cry on repeat views. I believe this has a lot to do with the emotional connection I personally have to the storyline, as it is my favorite film of all time.
Mary Poppins
I’ve not had the ability to see the musical as of yet and only can rely upon the cast album, but I have very mixed feelings about the changes between the Mary Poppins stage show and the original film. A lot of the songs are out of the order they appeared in during the film and this raises a red flag to me personally as it indicates that some plot changes have been made. It appears as if the stage show is a blending of the film and of the original novels, instead of a direct adaptation of the film. Even though I may be concerned about the changes in plot, it is a very small amount of worry, since I know that Cameron Mackintosh is behind the production. As evident from my earlier postings in the British Imports post, I adore Cameron Mackintosh so I know to not be entirely skeptical of him.
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast was the very first production that Disney brought to Broadway. While no longer on Broadway, I am hopeful for a revival as I really wanted a chance to see the production.
Favorite Clips
The ‘Circle of Life’ may not be my favorite song within the musical, but it is certainly the one that causes the most emotion from me. It always manages to make me tear up and it takes a great deal of effort for me not to sob when I see the The Lion King live. This is the original Broadway cast performing the song on the Tony Awards.
The ‘Circle of Life’ may be the main song to make me cry during The Lion King, but Endless Night will always be my favorite song from the production. I had hoped that they’d animate the song and add it onto the DVD special features, but instead they choose to do ‘The Morning Report.’ Jason Raize was a great Simba.
I am still putting research into the Shrek musical, but out of the cast album, this is my favorite track thus far. I aired this song during the initial broadcast but this gives a nice visual to how the scene pans out on stage.
I have posted clips of Hugh Jackman before on the blog so when I ran across this clip, I was ecstatic to see the performer in Beauty and the Beast. Gaston is my favorite Disney villain so I really enjoyed seeing him playing the character. It is also an interesting news segment on Hugh Jackman himself.
The Stage and Musical Show 